Whilst researching the second volume of my book “The Parking Ticket Awards: Crazy Councils, Meter Madness & Traffic Warden Hell” I discovered that not only do councils issue parking tickets against other councils but they also issue them against their own vehicles.
 
In fact councils are so determined to get their money from other councils that they pursue their cases all the way to the Parking Adjudicator.
 
But the craziest, stupidest example has to be an appeal by Islington Council (Case number 2070232277) heard by the Traffic Appeals Service between June and September 2007.
 
In this case Islington Council had not only issued a parking ticket to itself, but then pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator and then asked for costs against itself!  (The craziness doesn’t end there because to ask for costs the council must believe that it acted wholly unreasonably or vexatiously against itself!)
 
The decision of Mr. Adjudicator Gerald Styles on 13^th September 2007 clearly points out that the council cannot sue itself but the fact that he clearly did not collapse laughing and managed to dictate his decision is a tribute to his professionalism.
 
Quote from Barrie Segal “You couldn't make this up. This illustrates everything that is wrong with unaccountable parking enforcement in the UK. If they ever make a sequel to the film "Dumb and Dumber" I would suggest that the producers look no further than Islington Parking Department for the starring roles. These crazy events should give hope to every motorist who has received an unfair parking ticket. This story is going in to volume two of my book "The Parking Ticket Awards: Crazy Councils, Meter Madness & Traffic Warden Hell”
 
But wait, Islington is not the only council that has pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator. The Royal Borough of Kingston (Case 2020054621) issued a parking ticket against a vehicle it had hired and not only pursued itself at the Parking Adjudicator but won its case and had to pay itself the parking ticket!
 
 
 
ENDS
 
Notes for Editors:

Furthermore to take a case against itself to the Parking Adjudicator the council has to follow 14 separate steps to get to that stage and another 4 steps to ask for costs!!
 
1. Issue the parking ticket to itself.
2. Appealed to themselves.
3. Considered and refused the appeal.
4. Notified themselves that the appeal is refused.
5. Issued a Notice to Owner to itself.
6. Appealed against the Notice to Owner to itself
7. Considered and refused the appeal against the Notice to Owner
8. Refused the appeal and notified themselves that the appeal against the Notice to Owner is refused
9. Appealed to the parking adjudicator against their own refusal to cancel the parking ticket!
10. As appellants received notification from the parking adjudicator of the date and time of the hearing of the appeal.
11. As defendants received notification from the parking adjudicator of the date and time of the hearing of the appeal.
12. As defendants submitted any evidence to the parking adjudicator.
13. As appellants received decision of the parking adjudicator
14. As defendants received decision of the parking adjudicator.
15. As appellants applied for costs against itself to the parking adjudicator
16. As defendants received details of costs application by itself from parking adjudicator
17. As appellants received costs decision of the parking adjudicator
18. As defendants received costs received decision of the parking adjudicator.

The last four steps relate just to the costs issue

Legislation relating to costs is in:
Regulation 13 of The Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (England) Representations and Appeals Regulations 2007


13.—(1) The adjudicator shall not normally make an order awarding costs and expenses, but may, subject to subparagraph (2) make such an order—

(a) against a party (including an appellant who has withdrawn his appeal or an enforcement authority which has consented to an appeal being allowed) if he is of the opinion that that party has acted frivolously or vexatiously or that his conduct in making, pursuing or resisting an appeal was wholly unreasonable; or

(b) against an enforcement authority where he considers that the disputed decision was wholly unreasonable.
 
Councils that have sued themselves:
Southwark 3 times
Lambeth 3 times
Islington 3 times
Hackney 2 times
Ealing 1time
The Royal Borough of Kingston 1 time